Second body pulled from Muskingum River

ZANESVILLE – The bodies of two missing men, who were thought to be part of a Tuesday boating accident on the Muskingum River, were found Friday.

One was located just south of the Rokeby Lock in Morgan County and the other was found in the river near mile post 10 on Ohio 60 in Zanesville.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources found the first body near the shoreline while conducting a search around 1 p.m. and recovered it with the help of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office. Morgan County Coroner David Parrett ordered an autopsy to be performed in Licking County.

The body is that of a middle-aged, white male with dark hair, a mustache, a goatee and several tattoos. No identification was found on the body, and no one has been reported missing at this time. However, authorities hope the description of the tattoos will allow family and friends to identify the man.

“We’re hoping with this information, someone will come forward who knows the man,” said Jason Latchic, area supervisor with ODNR.

The man had a Harley-Davidson logo tattooed on his right shoulder with a prisoners of war-missing in action (POW/MIA) logo beneath it. A block Ohio State University tattoo with a horseshoe is on the left side of his chest, and a large cobweb is on the left side of his torso. Multiple skulls are tattooed on his left shoulder, and his left arm is covered in a sleeve of tattoos. His left nipple also is pierced with a black-and-white ring.

The other body was recovered around 8 p.m. after a person saw it floating in the water as they were driving south on Ohio 60, Lt. Mike LeCocq said. It was snagged in a clump of trees near the shore and was recovered by Harrison Township Water Rescue.

The second body hasn’t been examined yet, LeCocq said, and also will be sent to Licking County for an autopsy. No form of identification was found.

Latchic said he was confident officials would know the identities of both victims by Saturday.

The boat involved in the accident, a blue-and-white open bow vessel with “Jake’s Dream” written on the back of the transom, allegedly was stolen, Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz said.

Latchic said the last time the boat’s owner, whose identity was not released, saw the boat was around 8:30 p.m. Monday at a dock near Zanesville Yacht Club.

The first call reporting two people in the river came in around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. An eyewitness previously told The Times Recorder he saw a man in his early 20s struggling to stay afloat before eventually disappearing underwater near Putnam Landing. Authorities searched for four days before finding the bodies.

Staff writer Kate Snyder contributed to this article.

arumer@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

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Twitter: @AnnaRumerZTR

How to help

Anyone who might be able to identify either victim is asked to call the Ohio Division of Watercraft at 614-799-9572 or the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office at 740-452-3637.